Shloka 185
Yugapramāṇa–Kaliyuga-lakṣaṇa–Pralaya-kathā
Markandeya’s Account of Yugas, Kali Signs, and Dissolution
इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वणि ब्राह्मणमाहात्म्ये पज्चाशीत्यधिकशततमो< ध्याय:,इस प्रकार श्रीमहाभारत वनपर्वके अन्तर्गत मार्कण्डेयसमास्यापर्वमें ब्राह्मणमाहात्म्यविषयक एक सौ पचासीवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi mārkaṇḍeyasamāsyāparvaṇi brāhmaṇamāhātmye pañcāśītyadhikaśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ |
Thus, in the Śrī Mahābhārata, within the Vana Parva—specifically in the Markandeya-Samāsya sub-section—ends the one-hundred-and-eighty-fifth chapter, dealing with the greatness and sanctity of the brāhmaṇa. The closing formula signals the completion of a discourse that frames ethical order (dharma) through reverence for spiritual learning, restraint, and the social-religious responsibilities embodied by the brāhmaṇa ideal.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
As a colophon concluding a chapter on brāhmaṇa-māhātmya, it reinforces a dharmic ethic: society is sustained by honoring learning, self-restraint, and sacred responsibility—qualities traditionally associated with the brāhmaṇa ideal.
This is the formal closing line of the text, indicating that the discourse attributed to Sage Mārkaṇḍeya has reached the end of the 185th chapter within the Vana Parva’s internal section named Mārkaṇḍeya-samāsya-parvan, focused on the theme of brāhmaṇa greatness.